Baku hosts first contest of young kamancha performers

/By Azernews/

By Laman Ismayilova

Azerbaijan's Culture and Tourism Ministry has organized the first Republican contest of young kamancha performers to honor the memory of prominent Azerbaijani kamacha player Habil Aliyev, Trend Life reports.

The contest aims to develop the professional performance skills, promote young talents and commemorate the world-renowned kamancha player, People's Artist of Azerbaijan Habil Aliyev.

The contest was opened at school No.23 named after A.Badalbeyli on April 11. The first round will run till April 30 in Baku, Sumgayit, Mingachevir as well as Aghjabadi and Goranboy regions. The second and final round will take place in Agdash city on May 2-5.

A gala concert by winners of the Republican contest will take place at the International Mugham Center in Baku in May.

Habil Aliyev passed away of heart and lung failure at the age of 89 on September 8, 2015.

Born in 1927 in the country’s Agdash region, Aliyev began to study subtleties of Azerbaijani national music, Mugham, from when he was seven years old.

He created miracles on his kamancha and made significant efforts to acquaint the whole world with this marvelous national instrument.

Thanks to him, many young people were inspired to take up playing the mesmerizing instrument.

People in many countries have applauded him, referring to him as the “Master of magical sounds.”

He filled the music venues with thousands of music lovers on his tours all over the world, including Tunis, Switzerland, Holland, Syria, the U.S., Germany, India, France, Pakistan, Japan, Greece, Italy, and Iran. Aliyev’s records with unforgettable pieces were released in U.S. France, Japan, Greece, and Italy.

He breathed new life into the styles of Mugham, such as "Bayati-Ghajar", "Bestenigar", "Bayati-Shiraz", "Bayati-Kurd", "Segah" and "Zabul." His performances are a cascade of challenging motifs, which evoke an inexhaustible imagination of bright national coloring and musical patterns.

Five samples of mugham performed by Azerbaijani mugham luminaries including Habil Aliyev were included in the UNESCO “Collection of Traditional Music of the World”.